by Monique Jimenez
Staff Writer
High school students from 27 Californian schools participated in the 21st Annual High School Theater Festival hosted by the University of La Verne’s Theater Arts Department on Wednesday and continuing through today.
Students from Bonita High School performed in Dailey Theatre, showcasing a student written piece named “Untitled.”
The performance was eye-opening, expressing feelings, anxieties and emotions that people experience in life.
It ended with the statement “You have to find the answers for yourself,” a line every student uttered together.
“I felt like I could really relate to the emotions I was performing,” Bonita High student Kate Manlove said.
After each performance the students attend a dictation where faculty members, working professionals and an upper-class theater majors discuss the performance with the high school students, ask questions and give feedback as to what can be improved.
“This is an opportunity for students to show their work and get some positive feedback,” ULV Theater Recruiter and Public Relations Graduate Assistant Jessica Wotherspoon said.
Students who participate come ready to perform and learn more about theater production.
“I participate in the festival just for the fun, and getting to see other schools perform and what they are doing gives us other ideas as well,” Bonita High student Fareez Giga said.
The annual theater festival is an opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to audition for scholarships from ULV and see what the Theater Arts Department has to offer.
On Wednesday a workshop entitled “No More Sound of Music: Creating Contemporary Dance Theater,” was held and led by Kevin Kane, the instructor of ensemble performance at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Culture.
The students are given the opportunity to showcase their abilities in a three-day event allowing them to attend workshops in areas of improvisation, characterization through movement, voice, breathing and body and stage combat.
“They can get on stage and show us what they got,” Wotherspoon said.
